Human vision is limited to the visual spectrum—i.e., the colors of the rainbow. Below the visual spectrum lies the Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum. RF signals are used for a variety of applications, including radio and television broadcasts, cellular communications, satellite communications, and the like. Because humans cannot see RF signals, tools have been developed to aid in the identification of transmitting bodies.
Many prior art solutions use one or more antennas to derive direction and/or location of transmitters. For example, one solution uses several horn-shaped antenna elements arranged around a large, cylindrical reflector, with the elements feeding into several signal processors. This produces a wide-angle view of the environment. Another solution uses an array of loop elements and an array of dipole elements to create an electronically steerable beam. However, these solutions tend to be quite large and complex, employing a number of signal processors and feeds.
Thus, a limitation of some prior art systems is that they are too large, too complex, and too expensive to be deployed in consumer devices, especially hand-held devices. Currently, there is no miniaturized system on the market that provides direction of origin information for transmitters and that can be produced inexpensively and can fit into a hand-held device.